Drones at Home: Time Rapidly Approaches When Unmanned Aircraft Will Dot U.S. Skies

A polarizing debate is emerging over whether the unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as “drones,” should be allowed into U.S. airspace for use by local law enforcement and private businesses.

“No longer a tool used strictly by the military to take out terrorists overseas, drones of all shapes and sizes will soon be in our skies here at home for surveillance missions by local police departments, energy companies looking to build pipelines and farmers looking to feed thirsty crops,” CNET’s Jeff Glor reported Wednesday.

Drone technology may already be a billion-dollar industry, but as Ryan Gallagher blogged Tuesday for Slate, “One of the most significant barriers the industry faces is undoubtedly public opposition. There are critics on all sides of the political spectrum. In the United States, that includes not only campaign groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU, but also libertarian Fox News firebrands.”